King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Friday announced changes to the constitution which would transfer some of the political power held by the king to elected officials. The proposed changes would instill more authority in the country’s prime minister, who would be given the power to appoint government officials as the “president of the government.” [...]
A five-judge panel for the Ontario Court of Appeal Friday extended stay of a lower court decision striking down laws banning prostitution-related activities, leaving the activities illegal pending ruling of the court. The panel extended the stay , which was already extended last December, just before the proceedings in the Court of Appeal ended Friday, [...]
Federal prosecutors in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York dropped all charges against al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in a filing made Friday. The judge approved the procedural move, which is typical upon the death of a defendant. The nolle prosequi motion listed the hundreds of charges against Bin [...]
The Illinois Appellate Court on Friday ordered a circuit court to determine whether a law requiring a girl’s guardians to be notified before she has an abortion should be enforced. The Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995 , which has never been enforced , mandates that doctors notify the guardians of girls younger than [...]
The International Labor Organization (ILO) adopted a new convention at its annual conference in Geneva Thursday to protect domestic workers’ labor rights. The 100 Session of the International Labor Conference came to a close Friday. The convention sets standards for domestic workers in line with basic labor rights as those for other workers, including reasonable [...]
Amnesty International urged China on Friday to withdraw an invitation for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to participate in an event there and to arrest him if he travels to the country . Al-Bashir is scheduled to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and other government officials in China at the end of June. China is not [...]
International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Friday issued a public notice for victims of violence in the Ivory Coast to give statements and advise if the ICC should proceed with a formal investigation. Victims have 30 days to file a statement. The statement says Moreno-Ocampo will make an investigation request “shortly,” although [...]
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passed the “Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity” resolution with a vote of 23-19 and 3 abstentions on Friday. The resolution is the first to call for an end to sexuality discrimination worldwide and to recognize it as a “priority” for the UN. Although the resolution is “binding” [...]
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Friday decided to extend a mandate instructing a panel to investigate human rights abuses in Libya. The council, without voting, adopted a resolution that orders the investigation of abuses in Libya to continue through the end of the year. The three-person commission appointed to investigate violence in Libya [...]
US Attorney General Eric Holder Thursday defended his plans to prosecute terror suspects in federal civilian courts, responding to harsh criticism from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging two Iraqi-born terror suspects in Kentucky be sent to the Guantanamo Bay military detention facility. Holder gave an address at the American Constitution Society national convention [...]
